1,681 people evacuated from villages in north Sumatra as volcano spews ash 7km into the air

Mount Sinabung in Indonesia has erupted and sparked a mass evacuation from villages in north Sumatra.

Authorities raised the alert to Level III, the second highest on the country's scale, as seismic activty increased.

Nearly 1,700 people from surrounding villagers were cleared from their homes. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) said refugees had been homed in shelters set up by the military and the police.